Thread: Under appreciated

I find that the process changes if you use the same thing day after day or rotate through different things.

When using a brush or soap daily they never get completly dry before the next use.

This is in my bathroom anyway.

Originally Posted by 32t

I find that the process changes if you use the same thing day after day or rotate through different things.

When using a brush or soap daily they never get completly dry before the next use.

This is in my bathroom anyway.

I have about 20 soaps and each has it's own dedicated brush.

Whether i use the same brush twice or more depends mostly on if my wife is upstairs or down in the family room.

Upstairs I use a subtle soap because she has sensitivities, but if she's down in the family room I can go for it with my stronger stuff knowing it will settle down before she gets close enough to suffer from it.

She say's she wishes I had got a less smelly hobby I gonna get her a nice looking nose clip like swimmers use.

Before anyone suggests it, NO I don't wan't unscented. If I couldn't use all those nice soaps I might as well get a Gillette cartridge and a can off lazy shave.

If I could find a scentless soap that worked i would love it.

My point is more with the lather.

I use the same soap/brush every day for 6 months or more at a time.

That changes how my brush and soap works together.

My proceedure would not work for you with your rotation.

I use the same brush and soap combo for a week at a time and the only brush the might not dry overnight on occasion is that dense Muhle badger knot. My house is fairly dry year round including the bathroom. Running an exhaust fan during showers/baths and for 1/2 hour or so after seems to take care of any humidity problems in the bathroom. Obviously if the humidity is high in a bathroom the brush will take longer than overnight to dry. The lathering technique stays the same for the week.

Bob

I’m a brush soaker! Most of my brushes are of the Chubby 2 variety; large, densely packed knots that need a bit of a soak to perform for me. My less dense brushes I just give a little splash then go. As you say they can go a little floppy otherwise.

My basement is in the 40 to 50% humiditiy range on average.

How long does it take a brush to truly dry on average? Hmmmm

I'd say that most brushes except the dense ones would dry overnight, say from morning to morning. Well, at least mine seem to. as usual YMMV.

Bob

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Steve, we really must get you out of that habit!
Sometimes I wonder if somewhere it is written (or repeatedly UTubed) that you should soak your brush.

JMO

Am I glad that you were talking to Steve and not to me, because I shall continue to soak the bristles of my boar brushes.

Unlike badger, horse or synthetics, boar bristles significantly change when they are wet and for the sake of consistency I rather have that change occur before the shave than somewhere between the first pass and the final touch-up.
Instead of tossing the entire brush into a sink with water, I soak them for a few minutes upside down in a cup with only the bristles submerged.

For years, I have had brushes with wooden handle and there is no difference in the condition of the boar ones that I soak and the badger ones that I don’t.

So the subject of brush handle damage because of soaking is a non-starter for me.



B,

Originally Posted by beluga

Am I glad that you were talking to Steve and not to me, because I shall continue to soak the bristles of my boar brushes.

Unlike badger, horse or synthetics, boar bristles significantly change when they are wet and for the sake of consistency I rather have that change occur before the shave than somewhere between the first pass and the final touch-up.
Instead of tossing the entire brush into a sink with water, I soak them for a few minutes upside down in a cup with only the bristles submerged.

For years, I have had brushes with wooden handle and there is no difference in the condition of the boar ones that I soak and the badger ones that I don’t.

So the subject of brush handle damage because of soaking is a non-starter for me.



B,

I'm going to try dipping the bristles today to see what difference it makes as sharptonn suggested.

To be clear most of my brushes are boar and although I soak them in a mug while I shower, I have never chucked them in the sink.

I do fill the mug enough to cover most of the length of the bristle but I have never let the handle become submerged.

I tend to only gently shake the water from the brush before I lather because those boars of mine don't hold water like a badger, consequently my lather is wet enough that it drips on my chest most times and I have to stand it on a folded paper towel between passes or it leaves a big soapy puddle on my bathroom counter. It also leaves enough soap on the brush after four passes to probably do another 3.

Like I say, I will try dipping, that method may work better on a badger because I've always found soaking softens my boars nicely (although they are pretty soft from use already) but I'll try it, I might be pleasantly surprised and I'm always ready to learn from guys with a lot more experience than me.

Ive learned that with my boar brushes i like to soak. But my soaking time is 30 seconds at the most. Much more and they lose backbone and get floppy. I do more than just the tips in water. More like half the hairs in water on all my brushes. I do have some floppys and they just get less water time and just drips added to the lather on the brush.
Do what works for you steve. But be sure to try all the ways.